


Convergence Part III:  We Have Normality

by mountain_born



Series: The Marvelous Tale of an Agent, an Archer, and an Assassin [55]
Category: Doctor Who (2005), Marvel (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Crossover, Doctor Who/Avengers Crossover Fusion, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-15
Updated: 2019-10-15
Packaged: 2020-12-17 02:22:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,169
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21046736
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mountain_born/pseuds/mountain_born
Summary: The Convergence is over, and order and balance have been restored.  Or have they?





	Convergence Part III:  We Have Normality

**Author's Note:**

> One of the hardest things about posting new stories these days is finding new ways to thank my awesome beta, **like-a-raven**. Suffice to say that she is very awesome and I thank her very much. The next story up after this one is her handiwork, and I can’t wait.
> 
> This concludes the _Convergence_ trilogy. It was a bit of an experiment, breaking what is really one story up into three parts. But there was a lot going on and it felt like this was a way to give all of the points their fair due.
> 
> Thank you so much for stopping by and reading! Enjoy the story.

__

We have normality. I repeat, we have normality.

__

Anything you still can’t cope with is therefore your own problem.

~ Douglas Adams

_March 12, 2013_  
_Greenwich, London (England)_

_So this is what it’s like to be superfluous._

Honestly, that was not a novel sensation for Steve Rogers. He’d spent his whole life up until Project Rebirth being useless for pretty much anything, relegated to a life on the sidelines. But as Captain America he wasn’t used to standing around with nothing to do. 

Steve, Tony, and Bruce had landed in Greenwich almost two hours earlier, suited up and ready for battle. Except the battle was already over and done with. When Steve and the others had stepped off the quinjet they’d been greeted by Clint and River (looking tiredly smug) standing in a field of debris with a dead spaceship that looked roughly the size of Big Ben rising in the background.

Clint and River hadn’t stuck around long. Coulson had herded them (and Valerie, and Amy and Rory, and a man that Steve gathered was Rory’s dad) into a pair of cars from the London SHIELD base. 

“I’m turning the site over to you,” he’d told Steve. “SHIELD wants Stark and Banner to get started examining the ship. Thor and the Doctor are staying to help. Agent Quinn will be the SHIELD point person, and UNIT has sent agents to provide support. Since we’re their backyard, it’s best if we work cooperatively with them.”

“Of course, sir,” Steve had replied. “What exactly do you need me to do?”

“Just be Captain America,” Coulson had said, giving him a friendly pat on the shoulder. “Inspire confidence. You’re very good at it.”

_Dancing monkey._ Steve had gotten used to being the guy out in front, kicking down the enemy’s door. Wandering the perimeter of the battle site while wearing the world’s most conspicuous uniform felt like a waste of time. The most productive thing he’d managed to do was shift some of the heaviest pieces of debris for the clean-up crew. 

Looking around, Steve couldn’t help but remember the last time he’d spent a significant amount of time in London. During the war it had sometimes felt like the city was more rubble than not.

“Captain Rogers?” a voice behind him said. 

Steve turned to find a woman standing a few yards away. He frowned, trying to place her. He didn’t know her, but at the same time he was sure he recognized her. She was maybe in her late forties with chin-length blonde hair. She wore a tan raincoat and tall rubber boots with her dress slacks and sweater. There was a UNIT badge clipped to her lapel.

She waited for a moment, then seemed to take pity on Steve. She smiled and stepped forward, hand extended. “Kate Stewart, Chief Scientific Officer of UNIT.”

That made a few things click into place for Steve. “Right,” he said, shaking her hand. “Kate _Lethbridge_-Stewart, isn’t it? I thought you looked familiar.”

He hadn’t met her before, but he’d seen her picture in Peggy’s nursing home room. Peggy and her husband, the late Brigadier Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart, had three children. Kate was the youngest by a pretty wide margin. 

“It is,” Kate replied with a nod, “but I dropped the _Lethbridge_ when I joined UNIT for a bit of anonymity. I didn’t want people thinking I was getting special treatment because Dad was the Director.” 

“That had to have been an interesting upbringing,” Steve said. “Your mom running the London SHIELD headquarters and your dad running UNIT.”

“Oh, you have no idea,” Kate laughed. “The Christmas dinners alone would fill a book. And there was fun span of years where Mum and Dad kept stealing each others’ agents. Well, until Director Downing put her foot down about it.” She smiled at Steve. “Mum told us all about you, of course. I was hoping I’d get the chance to run into you here.”

It was a little strange to realize that you’d been relegated to a fond family story by the children of the woman who you had been at least halfway in love with. If things had worked out differently, Kate might have been his daughter. 

Or maybe she wouldn’t have been. 

Steve had had a lot of time to think about what might have happened between him and Peggy after the war, and he’d been forced to the conclusion that he didn’t really know. Maybe they would have lived happily ever after. Maybe they would have found they had nothing in common outside of the war. They’d never had the chance to find out. Peggy had moved on and made a good life for herself. Steve was glad that she had, but at the same time it made him feel more and more that he wasn’t going to get that kind of life.

Steve pushed those feelings aside and hoped that Kate wouldn’t read any of it on his face. That would just be awkward. “It’s good to meet you, too.” He nodded at the alien ship. “So, Chief Science Officer. I’m guessing you’re here to assess the ship? Can I give you an escort around the site?”

It seemed like the only proper thing to do. The site hadn’t been deemed safe, and this was Peggy’s daughter.

“How is Peggy doing?” he asked as they walked through the rubble. Steve hadn’t checked in for a few weeks.

“Well, I’m sure you know she’s had a rather rough winter, health-wise. Nothing serious, just one respiratory infection after another.” Kate smiled a bit sadly. “She’s almost ninety-two. It’s always something at this point. We haven’t been entirely out of the woods in years.”

Steve nodded silently.

“I’m sorry.” Kate sounded rueful. “I went rather grim there for a moment. We’re a lot more fortunate than most. The truth is that Mum’s comfortable and happy. Michael, Freddie, and I and our families are all in town and able to look after her. On the days when she can’t remember anything else, she can name all of the grandchildren and the great-grands. We should all be so lucky in our twilight years. I say. . .”

They had rounded a corner and Kate stopped at the sight of the TARDIS standing at the base of the Dark Elves’ ship.

“The Doctor really is here, then?” she asked. “I’d heard that he was, but I was sure he would already have moved on.”

“Yeah, no. He’s staying to help assess the ship,” Steve said. “Do you know him?”

“Personally? No, I’ve never met him. Dad dealt with him from time to time during his UNIT days. He could tell some stories. Funny,” Kate said with a smile. “Two of my childhood heroes in the same place on the same day.”

The remark made Steve want to wince. 

“We’ll have to make sure you two actually get a chance to meet, then,” he said, ignoring the compulsion. “The Doctor’s up in the ship now. I’m not sure what he’s doing, to be honest.” The technical aspects of this mission were way over his head. 

“And SHIELD’s people?” Kate asked. “I’m sure they’ve sent some. They can be somewhat territorial.”

“SHIELD’s sent agents from their Science Division,” Steve said. “And our best man is heading things up.”

“Did I hear someone mention me?” Tony Stark asked, appearing seemingly out of nowhere. He had shed the Iron Man suit and was in civvies and was carrying a large tool case. “Sorry, I heard _science_ and _best man._ I just assumed you were talking about me.”

“Well, I could have been talking about Banner,” Steve said. “But yeah, in this case, I was talking about you.” Banner was a brilliant physicist, but an alien ship called more for the mechanical engineer. “Stark this is--”

“Kate!” Stark grinned. “I had a feeling I’d be seeing you. How’s tricks?”

In contrast with Tony’s grin, Kate looked like she’d just stepped in something mildly unpleasant. “Tony. I thought maybe you’d gone back to New York.”

“And miss my chance to check this out first hand?” Tony jerked his thumb at the ship. “You know me better than that.”

“I’ve attempted to repress the memories,” Kate replied dryly. “I should check in with my colleagues. Captain Rogers.” She smiled rather pointedly at Steve. “It was a pleasure to finally meet you.”

Steve barely held his curiosity in until Kate was out of earshot. “What the hell was _that_ all about?”

“Old feud.” Tony shrugged at Steve. “Kate and I grew up together. Well, kind of. We saw each other at those Howling Commando reunions pretty often when we were kids. One summer, when I was sixteen and she was twenty, the families dragged us all to a resort up in the mountains. It was out in the middle of nowhere: lodge, lake, woods, the works. It was very _Dirty Dancing_, you know?”

Steve did not, in fact, know but at this point he was a little scared to ask.

“Anyway, I was bored, so I pulled this prank on Kate that involved an industrial fan, eighteen feather pillows, her favorite swimsuit, and a horse from the stables. What can I say? The woman can hold a grudge.”

_God, give me strength._ “That’s a touching story. Really.”

“Yeah. Aunt Peggy threatened to hoist me up the flagpole by my underpants. Good times.” Tony chuckled at the memory, shaking his head. “Oh, well. Not to cut the nostalgia tour short, but I need to head in and get to work.” He looked up at the alien ship. “It’s going to be a long night.”

Tony hefted his tool case and headed for the ship’s hatch. The Doctor had found one in the hull at near ground level. “Tony!” Steve called after him. Tony turned. “Do me a favor,” Steve said. “Don’t cause an international incident.”

Tony grinned “It’s England. What are they going to do? Tea me to death?”

Steve snorted, thinking of the particular breed of Londoner he remembered; less politely sipping afternoon tea and more Blitz Spirit and _Fuck the Luftwaffe._ That may have been a while ago, but from what Steve had observed the general attitude lived on.

“Say that a little louder here. I dare you,” he said.

Tony just waved him off. “If you get tired of patrolling and want to do something useful, come in and join us,” he called over his shoulder. “We’ll find something for you to do. Lifting stuff, moving stuff, handing me stuff. . . ”

He disappeared into the dark hole in the dark ship, leaving Steve alone outside. He tilted his head back and looked for a long moment at the cloudy, darkening London sky. The he turned and continued on his way.

*****

Once Tony was sure that he was out of Rogers’ sight he stopped, leaned back against a wall, closed his eyes, and practiced a little deep breathing. He’d briefly dated a yoga instructor seven or eight years ago. She’d been very into the whole spiritual Zen mindfulness thing. Tony had forgotten most of it. (Okay, he hadn’t worked very hard at remembering it in the first place.) But he’d remembered the deep breathing exercises.

_Get a grip. It’s just another alien ship._

And that was precisely the problem. It was _another_ alien ship. First it had been the Chitauri invasion, then Juddoon on the Moon, now this. That was three alien attacks in less than a year. They had to do something about it. Tony didn’t know what yet, but Earth couldn’t just keep being a sitting duck. It was all well and good to be an Avenger, but being a _Preventer_ would save a lot more lives.

That was why Tony was here: to assess this ship and its technology and figure out what they could do with it. He had been doing the same thing with Chitauri tech that had been recovered from New York. Tony was one of the most innovative mechanical minds of his generation; that was fact, not conceit. That meant it was his responsibility to develop ways to keep the world safe. Earth needed to start fighting fire with non-terrestrial fire.

He blew out one last deep breath and opened his eyes. The ship was powered down and the corridor was lit by a string of bright utility lights that either SHIELD or UNIT had run in. Tony followed the lights and the faint echo of voices to the ship’s control center.

Random SHIELD and UNIT worker bees were coming and going from the large room. The three people Tony was interested in were at the center of the action. Bruce and the Doctor were in the middle of an animated conversation while Thor looked on.

“Tony!” Bruce called as soon as he caught sight of him. “Is this incredible or what?”

Bruce was almost giddy. Tony suspected that it was at least partly because he’d been psyching himself up to go green and fight, and then ended up not needing to. 

“Yeah, you know, as killer spaceships go, it’s pretty impressive,” Tony said, looking around. “I had no idea Elves were this high tech. I was expecting a cookie factory or a toy workshop.”

“The amazing thing is that this ship is ancient,” Bruce said. “It’s thousands of years old. Thor was just filling us in on some of the history. His grandfather fought a war against the Dark Elves when humanity was just entering the Bronze Age. Can you believe that?”

“Yes, that was old King Bor,” the Doctor said. “I wasn’t there personally, but the Royal Library on Asgard has some lovely illuminated manuscripts on the topic. You can see an illustration of this very ship, if I’m not mistaken; Malekith’s flagship. After Bor beat them back, the Dark Elves vanished into deep space. No one ever knew what happened to them. But while I was poking about I discovered that this ship is outfitted with cryosleep chambers, well used and recently vacated. I’d wager they’ve been hibernating all this time, waiting for another Convergence. Now, that’s what you call dedication to your cause.”

“Great,” Tony said. “So we get to do this again in. . .however many thousand years?”

“No. Malekith is dead by my hand,” Thor said, speaking up for the first time. “The remnants of his force have been banished back to their realm. They’ll not harm anyone again.”

For a conquering hero, Thor seemed weirdly subdued. Tony had sort of gathered that Asgardian victories usually lent themselves more to feasting and drinking. The guy had put away at least five helpings of shwarma after the Battle of New York. 

“Are you okay there, Point Break?”

Thor raised his head and squared his shoulders. “Of course,” he said. “It was a great victory. If you’ll excuse me, I wanted to survey the battleground from above.”

He turned and swept out of the chamber. _Swept_ might have been a dramatic choice of word Tony thought, but there really was no other way to describe it when a person was wearing a cape. Thor disappeared around a corner in a swirl of red. Tony could hear his footsteps fading in the distance.

“He seems. . .not okay,” Bruce said.

“Yeah, I picked up on that, too,” Tony replied.

“He is far less gregarious than normal,” the Doctor said.

“Maybe one of us should go check on that,” Tony said. “Probably not me. I’m told I’m pretty bad at the sensitive pep talk thing. Maybe I should get Rogers to go do it. He’s the team captain and he needs something to do.”

“No, I’ll go,” the Doctor said.

“I didn’t think you were all that good at sensitive pep talks either.”

“I’m better at it some days than others,” the Doctor replied. “Besides that, I’ve known Thor since he was a boy. I’ll go. You two carry on here. Go check out those cryosleep pods. Or the artificial gravity. Or the ship’s auxiliary power system. That should be of interest. It did keep this place running for five millenia, give or take. Go.” The Doctor made shooing motions at Tony and Bruce. “Learn things.”

The Doctor turned and departed, following Thor’s path out of the room. For one truly wild second, Tony felt a flash of distrust and panic over the two aliens going off to have a chat away from the humans.

_Okay, that would definitely be one for your therapist. If you_ had _a therapist,_ Tony thought in disgust. Thor and the Doctor weren’t up to anything. Thor had proven more than once that he was on their side. And the Doctor? If he wanted to end humanity he’d just zap back in time and club that one curious fish that decided to venture up onto dry land. They’d never know the difference.

“Are _you_ okay?”

“What?” Tony’s eyes snapped back to Bruce. “Fine. Why?”

“You have a weird look on your face.”

“That’s just my face.” Tony clapped his hands together. “We should get started.”

*****

The Doctor wound his way upward through the Dark Elves’ ship. Up and up on wide, rough ramps, then narrow spiral staircases. The ship had lifts, but with the power out they were dark and useless. Finally the Doctor reached the foot of a metal ladder. Above him was an open square the color of London twilight. The Doctor climbed.

He found Thor standing at the edge of the ship’s hull, cape blowing in the breeze. He was looking at the skyline, not down at the wreckage below. The Doctor joined him at the edge and peered curiously over. Workers down below were setting out spotlights to illuminate the area around the ship. The Doctor saw Steve Rogers moving a large chunk of baroque wreckage aside to clear their way.

The Doctor glanced sidelong at Thor, who was still silently contemplating the south bank of the Thames. He could see crowds of people over there, trying to see what was happening on this side.

“So. Dark Elves,” the Doctor said conversationally. “That’s a nightmare-inducing chapter from the book of bedtime stories. I’m pretty sure I read that one to you and Loki when you were little. More than once as I recall.”

Thor didn’t respond. The Doctor sighed silently.

“I’m not going to ask if everything is alright,” he said more seriously, “because I can tell by looking at you that it’s not. I will just say that if you want to tell someone about it, I’m here.”

That seemed to stir Thor out of his silence, even if only by a matter of millimeters. 

“I scarcely know where to begin,” he said.

It was at times like this that the Doctor felt very sorry for beings who lived linearly. They wanted things to be laid out neatly and in order, and complicated stories couldn’t be told like that. Complicated stories could start in a dozen places and twisted back around on themselves. Some people found the tangle so distressing that they simply tucked their stories away untold.

Fortunately for the Doctor he didn’t need a linear story, and he knew that handing someone a starting place could make all the difference. “Why did the Dark Elves come to Earth?” he asked. 

“Happenstance,” Thor replied. “Were it not for the Convergence, we might have avoided this.” He looked down at the destruction below. “Malekith sought to finish his war. His first attack was on Asgard itself.”

“How bad was it?” the Doctor asked. Asgard had formidable defenses, but it had been a long time since they’d been tested.

“They dealt us a blow,” Thor said grimy. “Mother was killed during the siege, fighting Malekith.”

“No! Oh, no, no. Thor, I’m so sorry.”

The Doctor was genuinely stricken. He’d always liked Frigga very much. The Doctor and Odin had dealt with each other with cautious mutual respect (though the Doctor had never been able to resist gently teasing the King of Asgard from time to time). But Frigga had been a friend. The Doctor had always appreciated her wisdom, her kindness, and her sense of humor. In turn, Frigga had shown her regard for the Doctor by trusting him with that which was closest to her heart--her two boys.

“Loki and I pursued Malekith to Svartalfheim to avenge her death and to put an end to the Dark Elves’ war once and for all.”

“Loki? Odin let him out of the dungeons?”

That didn’t sound like the Odin the Doctor knew, and the slightly mischievous smile that crossed Thor’s face confirmed his suspicions.

“Well. . .not exactly,” Thor said. He sobered. “Once we were on Svartalfheim the Convergence began and our fight came here. But not before Loki fell to Malekith. In the end he died bravely and with honor.”

“Are you sure?” The question popped out before the Doctor could stop it. “I just mean we’ve thought he was dead before. You know how Loki is. He always has a trick up his sleeve.”

“I do know,” Thor didn’t seem offended by the question. “But in this case there could be no mistake. This wasn’t a fall into a void. Malekith got under Loki’s guard with a knife. He died in my arms. I’m sure.”

The Doctor held his tongue this time, but he wasn’t convinced. Perhaps he was projecting because the Doctor had always seen a great deal of himself in Loki, even when he’d been a boy. But he didn’t believe that Loki would be brought down by a simple knife, even wielded by the likes of Malekith. Loki was quick, smart, and sharp. Moreover, Frigga had taught him the rarefied skill that most people would call “magic.” Loki could probably make his beloved brother see whatever Loki wanted him to see. The Doctor wondered if that had occurred to Thor yet.

Probably not, and after a few seconds of consideration, the Doctor decided it would be better not to bring it up. He had all the time in the Universe. No reason to be rash. Instead he rested a comforting hand on Thor’s shoulder. 

“I’m sorry, Thor. I know how much you loved them both.” 

“Thank you.”

“Will you go home now?” the Doctor asked. 

“Perhaps not right away,” Thor said after a moment. “I should. I know that Father is grieving for Mother. On the other hand, I rather committed treason, so giving him space may be the better course of action.”

“You might be right there,” the Doctor said. “Heimdall will let him know that you’re safe. And in the meantime, you have people here who would be happy to have you around for a while. The Avengers. Dr. Foster.”

He glanced sidelong at Thor who looked, to the Doctor’s eye, slightly rueful. 

“The situation with Jane is. . .complicated.”

“Of that I have no doubt,” the Doctor replied. “So, stay for a while. Perhaps some things will become clearer.”

“I believe I will.”

*****

“Well, I must say, that was bracing,” Brian Williams said as their party trudged down the sidewalk toward Amy and Rory’s house. “And very, very tiring.”

“You can say that again,” Phil replied. He noticed a couple of Amy and Rory’s neighbors, out for an evening stroll, staring at them oddly. Amy and Rory were oblivious, walking a little ahead of the others and talking quietly. Phil smiled at the neighbors and raised his hand in a half wave. They hurried on.

Phil had had the SHIELD drivers bring them all back here for lack of any better ideas. By rights, he, Clint, and River should probably have reported to the London SHIELD office, but. . .fuck it. There had been elves. The London office knew how to reach them if they needed them. Moreover, Fury knew how to reach them. And Phil had spent the entire ride back to Amy and Rory’s neighborhood texting with Agent Lin and Agent Vasquez back in New York. His second-in-command and the Avengers PR officer had their hands full.

But Phil was confident that they could manage for the next twenty-four hours or so. The rest of them needed some downtime. They were going to need to address the question of where to spend the night at some point. Hopefully Amy and Rory could recommend a nearby hotel that took dogs. 

“Home sweet home,” Amy said, leading the way into the house. “Is anyone else starving?”

There were several affirmative noises from the others. Phil saw Valerie open her mouth, probably about to offer to whip something up (because Valerie had never met a kitchen that she wasn’t comfortable taking over, country be damned). Her eyes suddenly went wide. “Oh, shoot!”

The others turned to stare.

“The kitchen,” Valerie said. “We took the whole kitchen apart to reorganize it. We didn’t get as far as putting stuff back. I can--”

Valerie actually started for the kitchen, but Amy stopped her. “Don’t worry about it,” Amy said. “Rory and I will tackle it later and start sorting it out.”

“Together?” River asked with a hopeful note in her voice. “Does that mean you. . .”

“Think Rory should give Brian his sofa back? Yeah, for starters. I think the rest we can work out from there.” Amy looked at Rory. “If that’s okay with you?”

Rory grinned. “It’s very okay with me.”

Phil breathed a small, internal sigh of relief. It was probably premature to think that everything was fine and fixed, but at least Amy and Rory were working together now. Those were odds he’d gladly put money on.

“In the meantime, we have paper plates and a really good Chinese takeaway on the high street,” Amy said. “Who wants eggrolls?”

In due course, everyone was crowded into Amy and Rory’s lounge, perched on various pieces of furniture with plates of Chinese food. Brian, sitting in one of the kitchen chairs between River and Valerie with Bingley lying across his feet, was still getting brought up to speed about what his son and daughter-in-law had been up to for the last few years.

“So, you two were actually at the Battle of New York? Like right in the thick of it?” Brian said to Amy and Rory.

“Yeah,” Rory confirmed. “We weren’t really fighting, though. We were on rescue detail, getting people out of the way and into the TARDIS.”

“The casualty count would have been a lot higher without them,” Phil said.

“Blimey. You’ve had some adventures,” Brian said.

“A lot of them,” Amy replied. Phil caught the looked she exchanged with Rory. “There’s really a lot we need to tell you about, Brian. Some of it’s pretty important, and a little hard to believe.”

“You mean like the fact that River is your daughter?” Brian asked calmly.

There was dead silence as every pair of eyes in the room locked onto Brian. Amy and Rory looked stunned. Rory opened his mouth, but nothing came out. In the end, River recovered first.

“Who told you?” she asked.

“No one told me. I worked it out on my own.” Brian sounded just a little bit pleased with himself. “I couldn’t figure it out at first. I could _see_ it plain as day when Amy introduced you down at the allotment, but I didn’t understand how it could be possible. I mean, you’re their age, so how could you be theirs?

“But then the Doctor turned up and you all started talking about traveling in Time. Well then it all made sense, didn’t it?” Brian set his plate down on the coffee table. He turned to River with a smile of pure happiness and held out his hand. “It’s nice to officially meet you, love.”

River smiled back as she shook his hand. “It’s nice to meet you too, Brian.”

Phil was pretty sure he heard a sniffle coming from Valerie’s chair, but when he glanced at her she just raised her eyebrows at him.

“Wait, so. . .” Clint waved his fork at Brian. “You figured out that River was Amy and Rory’s daughter just by looking at her?”

“Well, sure,” Brian shrugged. “What kind of man doesn’t know his own granddaughter when he sees her?” 

Coming from someone else, Phil thought, that statement would have sounded like a cheesy line of dialogue straight from a Hallmark movie. Coming from Brian Williams it sounded completely sensible.

Brian looked at Amy and Rory, his smile fading a little. “The baby you lost. It was her, wasn’t it?”

“Yes. Well, technically she was kidnapped,” Rory said. “It happened last fall. Well, last fall for us. Longer ago for River, obviously. That’s another--”

“Long story,” Brian chorused along with him. “Well, I will want to hear it, all of it. But we have plenty of time. No need to tell it all at once. Just tell me,” Brian said to River, “you’re alright now?”

River smiled and nodded. “Very much so, yes.”

“And the people who kidnapped you?”

“They’re out of my life,” River said. “For good as far as I’m concerned.”

*****

_March 12, 2013_  
_Somewhere in the Outer Hebrides_

In a remote corner of northern Scotland, Madame Kovarian stood on a rocky beach in the fading daylight, watching the waves rush up onto the shore. It was peaceful, but a different sort of peace than that of deep space.

“Beautiful, isn’t it, James?” she said to her silent shadow. “Say what you will about Scotland. It’s cold and damp and windy and the sun only shines one day out of every three. But you can’t beat it for a dramatic landscape. And it’s private. We have this whole island to ourselves.” She took a deep breath of the salty air. “This is where it really begins. The Silence will reshape this world. And then we’ll reshape the universe.”

James didn’t offer up any commentary on the mission. (James never did. That was part of his charm.) All he said was, “It’s almost time for the meeting, ma’am.”

Madame Kovarian turned away from the sea. “So it is. Well, we shouldn’t keep the others waiting. It’s been a big day.”

Just off the beach was the Silence’s new headquarters. Kovarian looked about with satisfaction as she and her escort made their way along one of the muddy tracks. Here vehicles and troops moved through a sizable compound of domed buildings. Kovarian knew that from above the buildings would look like nothing more than so many green hillocks and rocks. This entire island was outfitted with cloaking devices and perception filters. Anyone observing from sea or sky would just see a deserted outpost, and any curious boaters or fishermen would find themselves naturally gravitating away from it without quite knowing why. 

The Silence had to avoid detection until the time was absolutely right.  
Madame Kovarian entered a large building at the center of the compound and followed the steps down a level to the main command center. Colonel Manton and Dr. Weatherby were already there, and three of the large view screens were queued up, ready for the other attendees. 

“Colonel Manton. Dr. Weatherby.” Madame Kovarian smiled a greeting at her two trused seconds-in-command. “I trust you find our new accommodations to your satisfaction?”

“Very much so,” Colonel Manton said. “The buildings are rudimentary, but they have power, water, everything we need. Now that we’ve been able to move the rest of our gear, we’ll be able to make them much more liveable. Within a week or so we should be back to the level we were operating at on the Alfheim base.”

“I’ve inspected my laboratory,” Dr. Weatherby added. “It’s surprisingly spacious. I’ll be able to resume my work right away.”

Weatherby sounded exceptionally pleased, and Kovarian suspected that the lab was only part of the reason. Earth of 2013 presented an entirely new pool of potential subjects for the good doctor’s experiments. There was little that excited the man more. 

“You’re certain that we weren’t detected coming through?” Kovarian asked.

“Positive,” Manton replied. “The energy of the Convergence masked all evidence of our crossing. The Doctor himself wouldn’t have been able to detect us, even if he’d been looking.”

“Excellent.”

Moving the Silence’s base of operations had been carefully timed for Convergence Day for that very reason. The Silence had operatives working in this time, and it had been they who had laid the foundations of this base. The Silence had been transferring personnel and supplies here from the future slowly and in small stages. Any large transfer of troops and equipment would have meant risking detection. The Convergence had provided the perfect cover for the main move.

“We didn’t plan on an extra alien spaceship coming through over London,” Manton said, “but that worked to our advantage. It provided an extra distraction for SHIELD and for the Avengers.”

Kovarian nodded. “Speaking of SHIELD, I believe it’s time to get our meeting underway.” She pressed a button and the view screens came to life. “Peter Stone. Flora Andrews. Grant Ward.” Kovarian greeted them each in turn. “Thank you for joining us. You are to be commended. You’ve done extraordinary work here.” 

“We’re glad you’re pleased, ma’am,” Peter Stone replied. “It’s good to have us all in the same timezone again after so many years.”

“Indeed, Peter. It’s been far too long,” Kovarian replied. “I want you and Flora to know how very much we appreciate your service. It’s not easy to take the slow road through Time the way you’ve done.”

The Silence had been placing operatives in SHIELD over the course of several decades. Some of them had already lived out their lives and died in this timeline in service to the cause having helped set the stage for Silence’s endgame. Peter and Flora were two of the most senior of those operatives left. 

Then there were those who had been recruited from within, like Grant Ward. Kovarian turned her attention to him now. “And how are other matters at SHIELD?” she asked.

“They’re good. Our little computer genius is doing well,” Ward said. “She’s hacked into some informative feeds for me. Under the table and all in good fun, of course. She has a subversive streak, which is helpful.”

“I had a feeling Skye would be of great use to us,” Kovarian said with satisfaction. Perhaps in time the girl could even be trusted to know who she was truly working for. “And your personal relationship with her?”

Ward was too professional and frankly a little too arrogant to blush, but he managed to convey the impression all the same. Ward was good at that sort of thing. “I think she’s satisfied.”

Kovarian heard Peter snort.

“Good. Stay close to her. And what of our dear Melody?”

“Mixing more with the Avengers and less with SHIELD proper these days,” Peter said. “That can only be a good thing for us. If anyone is going to spot the Silence inside of SHIELD, it’s her.”

“She hasn’t so far,” Flora said with a twisted smile. “She’s been there more than seven years and hasn’t an inkling. Perhaps she’s not as smart as you credit her as being, Peter.”

Even through a view screen, there was no mistaking the pure hatred that rolled off of Flora Andrews. Flora had taken Melody’s desertion of the Silence as a personal affront and her subsequent alliance with the Doctor as the final nail in the coffin. 

The sentiment was not without some merit. Flora’s beloved brother Robert had been Melody Pond’s foster father. Robert and his wife, Elizabeth, had given their entire lives to bringing up Melody and preparing her for her destiny. Flora considered Melody’s actions to be not only a betrayal of the Silence and its cause, but a betrayal of family.

In truth, Kovarian had had reservations about Flora transferring to SHIELD Headquarters in New York to be closer at hand to Melody. But Flora knew the stakes were too high to do anything rash, and Peter was there to keep her in check in any case.

“Melody thinks she’s left us behind, and that’s to our advantage,” Kovarian said. “When the time is right we’ll bring her back into the fold.”

“And then she’ll be punished, yes?” Flora said. “She’s an apostate. She deserves punishment.”

Madame Kovarian sensed James tensing beside her and made a mental note to speak to Dr. Weatherby. No matter how many times Weatherby used his methods to smooth out the confusion in James’ mind, James retained a deeply-seated protective instinct when it came to Melody. That was not an inherently bad thing, but it was something to keep an eye on.

“Melody still has a role to play for us,” Kovarian said. “How much duress we’ll have to subject her to in order to get her to fulfill that role will be entirely up to her. All in good time. For now, just keep an eye on her.”

Great changes were coming for Melody and for SHIELD, and for Earth. This was just the first step.

_End_


End file.
